The present invention relates to a spray shield for controlling air, spray and airborne debris generated by a wheel of an automotive vehicle. It relates more particularly to such a shield that is adapted to be suspended in generally vertical orientation and disposed rearwardly of the vehicle""s wheels to obstruct the spray of water, sleet, ice, snow and slush, rocks and other forms of airborne debris which may be thrown upwardly and rearwardly or laterally by the wheels during the vehicle""s movement, particularly on highways.
The present invention is an improvement to the spray shield described and illustrated in Morin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,846 issued Apr. 28, 1987. The problem addressed by the present invention and that of this earlier patent, is thatxe2x80x94particularly with heavy vehicles such as trucks, tractor trailers and busesxe2x80x94spray and airborne debris such as water, ice, snow, dust, rocks and the like, may be sprayed during that vehicles movement, depending upon the type and condition of the roadway upon which such vehicle is travelling. Such spray and debris may dangerously obstruct visibility of a following vehicle and thus make it impossible for that vehicle to pass safely, or make it dangerous or hazardous to follow behind.
Morin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,846 describes and illustrates a type of louvered spray shield having a plurality of vertically aligned downwardly depending contiguous louvers, each louver extending horizontally between side borders when the shield is in position on a vehicle. The louvers permit flow of air, spray and airborne debris through the shield causing downward deflection thereof. As disclosed in Bajorek et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,750 issued Oct. 15, 1996, such a construction of louvered shield also facilitates dispersion of heat generated by the tire and the road surface, thereby increasing tire life, and reduces fuel consumption when compared to conventional solid mud flaps, by reducing air resistance and turbulence otherwise created by such solid flaps.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a more aerodynamically efficient shield of the type in question, which will be more efficient both in controlling flow of air, spray and debris behind and to the sides of a moving vehicle carrying such shields, while at the same time facilitating fuel saving and extending tire life.
In order to achieve these objects, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a shield for controlling the flow of air, spray and airborne debris generated by a wheel of an automotive vehicle when travelling on a roadway surface, the shield comprising a planar frame having front and rear surfaces and top, side and bottom borders. The shield is adapted to be disposed above the roadway surface vertically depending from the vehicle and spaced rearwardly from the vehicle wheel in a plane extending transversely to the wheel. A plurality of downwardly and rearwardly oriented louvers are fixed on the frame to extend rearwardly beyond its rear surface, so as to be oriented horizontally (when the shield is in position on the vehicle) between the side borders. The louvers are shaped so as to permit when the vehicle is moving flow of air, spray and airborne debris through the shield and downward deflection thereof as they pass between the louvers. The louvers extend across the frame, from top to bottom, in adjacent fashion, the top of each louver extending rearwardly downwardly from the plane of the frame. A bottom edge of each louver where it meets the frame defines the vertical positioning on the shield of the upper edge of the lower adjacent louver. Each louver is arranged and shaped with respect to the frame so that its sides meet the frame and the louver rises slightly outwardly with respect to the frame as the louver extends laterally inwardly from its sides.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shield further comprises a flap rigidly secured to each side border and angled so as to outwardly and forwardly extend therefrom so as to facilitate the gathering of air, spray and airborne debris as the vehicle to which the shield is attached moves forward, and to direct said air, spray and airborne debris to pass through the louvers.
In another preferred embodiment, the shield has a pair of similarly arranged and shaped sets of louvers positioned side-by-side on the frame and joined along confronting, inner flaps which flaps form a rearwardly oriented V-shaped groove vertically forwardly extending from the frame and separating the two sets of louvers along a central portion of the shield.
As will be described in more detail subsequently, the shield according to the present invention is constructed so as to be aerodynamically suited to collect and direct air, spray and airborne debris generated by a wheel of an automotive vehicle. At the same time, the shield construction according to the present invention is such as to permit structural rigidity, even when the device made of a relatively light-weight material.